A toy having a centralized elevated object repository has at least one inclined surface radiating upwardly toward the object repository. The inclined surface includes a plurality of holes sized to be smaller than the object and has a striking member located beneath it. When the striking member is forceably raised, projections on the surface of the striking member contact the object to propel the object toward the next hole in line with the repository.
Certain games are known wherein players compete with each other to step-wise move an object from one position to another in a contest to place their particular object in a centralized goal. A classic example of this type of game would be Tiddly Winks. Tiddly Winks can be played on either a hard or a comparatively soft surface. However, the young, inexperienced or otherwise physically inept player finds it difficult to master this simple game on a hard surface. This is because the disk that is to be moved must be flipped with a hand-held disk in a particular manner in order to move it.
Other games are known which utilize one principle of Tiddly Winks, that is, a contest between players to move their objects toward a central goal but which are based on using mechanical devices. Such games include a game described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,412 wherein two players can compete to move a spherical object through a series of buckets through one position to the next. Other games such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,920 pits one player against the next in attempting to project a spherical object held in a bell crank type mechanism into the mouth of a rotating figure.
Games are also known where an object is either directly propelled toward a goal to achieve a score or where the object is used to move a mechanism which then moves a secondary object either toward a goal or in a race with another secondary object. Examples of these would be the toys or games described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,611,728 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,941.
While all of the above noted games which utilize mechanical apparatuses have certain play value, none of them really mimics the competitive spirit behind Tiddly Winks. It is considered that a game which utilizes a mechanical apparatus to incrementally move an object through a series of positions toward a centralized goal would be extremely interesting to younger children in that they could race against their peers to achieve the goal yet the apparatus would allow them to manipulate the object in a manner that their lack of physical coordination because of their tender age inhibits them from doing without the assistance of the apparatus.